Uncovering fast fashion: Why cheap clothing is devastating for the planet

Fast fashion, as it’s known, is the clothing industry business model where fashions go from the catwalk to mass consumption with unparalleled speed.

To give just one example, on the BBC’s Breaking Fashion programme, a Manchester-based company ‘In the Style’ reproduced a bodysuit worn by Kylie Jenner and had it on sale 10 days after the celebrity wore it in public.

Alex Crumbie of Ethical Consumer puts it like this: “
Fast fashion is ‘fast’ in a number of senses: the changes in fashion are fast, the rate of production is fast; the customer’s decision to purchase is fast; delivery is fast; and garments are worn fast — usually only a few times before being discarded.”

The fashion cycle has been transformed in recent years. Trends that would once have lasted many months now only last weeks, if not days, and the resultant throughput of clothes is having devastating consequences.

You would think not having to pay top dollar for top brands was a good development, but the race to the bottom has meant production is concentrated in places of high poverty, low economic development and no protections for workers.

There are four million textile workers in Bangladesh, working for very low wages in over 5,000 factories — 85% of workers are women, and many of the factories in which they work are not up to standard. 

The Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh was so poorly built it collapsed in 2013, killing 1,100 and injuring 2,500. This event garnered international headlines, but the truth is that hundreds of Bangladeshi workers have died in factory fires over the past decade.

Carbon emissions

That brings us to the second issue. These clothes are produced in factories which are many thousands of miles from the western markets where we buy them. That means huge amounts of carbon are burned to get them here. It’s estimated the fashion industry accounts for as much as 10% of global CO2 emissions — more than all international flights and shipping combined.

Environmental news outlet, EcoWatch says dyeing clothes involves a “toxic cocktail” of chemicals.

Denim production alone is the second-largest polluter of fresh water on the planet. An estimated 70% of Asia’s lakes and rivers are contaminated by over 2.5 billion gallons of waste from the textile industry, resulting in a massive ecological and public health crisis.

Then there are plastics. Polyester sheds microfibres after every wash cycle. These trace materials end up in the water cycle, compounding the plastic problem in our seas. Studies have also found these tiny fibres end up in animal stomachs and even make it onto our plates in seafood.

Waste

The clothing industry also creates astonishing amounts of waste. It’s estimated the number of textiles being produced per head globally more than doubled, from 5.9kg in 1975 to 13kg by 2018.

These clothes are not designed to last, and recycling rates are abysmally low — less than 1%. Some 92 million tonnes end up either being incinerated or in landfills. Much of this never even gets to the consumer. Because clothes go out of date so quickly, millions of tonnes are diverted to dumps before they reach the shops.

The French news agency, AFP has reported on the mountain of unused clothing building up in Chile’s Atacama Desert. A total of 59,000 tons of second-hand clothes arrive in Chile for resale each year, but an estimated 39,000 tons cannot be sold and end up dumped in the desert.

Greenwashing

‘Greenwashing’ is another issue in the industry. This is where fast fashion brands present an ethical or environmentally friendly facade while maintaining the same business model.

Legislatures are now turning to face this problem. Last year, the EU issued its Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). This law states companies are legally obliged to report on the impact (positive or negative) they have on biodiversity and ecosystems, together with any actions taken by the company to prevent, mitigate or remediate adverse impacts.

The new directive has been described as the biggest single transformation in corporate reporting in the last 25 years. 

It is also set to bring in new rules for companies around what they need to report on — including the company’s track record on the environment and the work-life balance of employees.

We’re also seeing a significant pushback against fast fashion by consumers anxious to do the right thing and not become part of the problem. 

Fashion Revolution was set up in the aftermath of the Rana tragedy in 2013 with the aim of turning the tide on fast fashion and finding alternative ways of running the clothing industry. This is its vision: “A global fashion industry that conserves and restores the environment and values people over growth and profit.”

Oxfam Ireland offers an ethical and transparent stock solution tailored to the needs of clothing industry businesses. By collaborating with Oxfam, manufacturers and retailers increase their collective impact and influence by extending the life of product and diverting from landfill and/or incineration. The charity also offers a free collection service for excess stock across the island of Ireland and most European countries.

The UK’s Ethical Consumer organisation offers these tips to help turn your back on fast fashion:

• Make a second-hand pledge. Buy only second-hand for a year. Traid, an organization working against fast fashion encourages people to commit to sourcing a chosen percentage of their wardrobe second-hand rather than buying new;
• Upcycle. Instead of throwing clothes away, adapt them. Or buy second-hand and alter them to fit you;
• Swap clothes with friends, or lend them if you don’t want to part with them permanently. Have a clothing swap party;
• Clear out your wardrobe. If you haven’t worn something for a year, bring it to a charity shop or find some other way of giving it a new home;
• Limit the number of items you have. Project 333 suggests wearing just 33 items for three months, and the Capsule Wardrobe Challenge is to never own more than 37 items;
• Look after your existing clothing. Even if we love our clothes, we often replace them once they lose their shape, get holes or go bobbly. By buying higher-quality clothes and washing them at a lower temperature (30C) and less often, they last longer.